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Magnus had been... off since Alec had left the loft earlier that morning. He’d been irritable and indecisive and after he’d nearly made his first client cry after he had accidentally snapped at her, he’d canceled the rest of his appointments for the day.
Something wasn’t right.
Magnus was, unfortunately, very much his father’s son and if he was at anything less than his best then he did not need to be around people.
If he accidentally hurt someone...well, he couldn’t live with himself.
A desperate, pleading voice in the back of Magnus’ head said that he knew why he was feeling this way. This was the first time they’d been apart for more than a few minutes since Alec’s miraculous resurrection as an immortal and truly magical creature. He still hadn’t gotten over the feeling that there was still some chance that he’d lose Alec again. They still hadn’t put too much thought or research about the magic that had returned his husband to life… who's to say the same magic couldn’t take him just as quickly?
He knew that Alec deserved the time with his family. Keeping the Shadowhunter-turned-unicorn to himself was selfish . Magnus wasn’t the only one who had mourned his death and suffered afterwards. Isabelle had been there when her brother had died and Jace had lost part of his soul that day.
They needed their own time with Alec to see and feel that he was alive and well for themselves.
He didn’t belong to Magnus… but, oh how he did.
The warlock tried to keep himself busy while Alec was gone. He had potions that he’d desperately needed to stock up on for months now but after he’d ruined the second batch of his magical cure-all elixir, he’d decided enough was enough. Dragon scales were too expensive and rare to be throwing them away on poorly thought out attempts at potion-making because he couldn’t stop pacing a hole in his floor long enough to stir the damn thing.
He’d eventually given up. Just because he was feeling off didn’t mean someone else was.
Finally, around noon, he called Catarina.
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Catarina had known Magnus long enough to storm right in, take one good look at him, and know exactly what was wrong.
Alec was back but Magnus...was not.
Magnus was very much a physical person - engaging in small, friendly touches with those he was close to to show his affection. A steadying hand on a timid shoulder, a hug for a heartbroken friend, a gentle hand on the back of a head to comfort a terrified child.
Gentle touches and affection were how Magnus showed he cared but he needed them as much as those he was giving them to.
And after Alec had died, all of those had stopped.
The day she’d seen Magnus flinch away from Madzie, her heart shattered. He’d been like this once before - the day Camille had left him, he’d stop his caring, casual touches with the women in his life. It had taken him nearly a decade to overcome it.
His friends suffered and Magnus had suffered.
But now Alec was back and they could fix this before she lost another friend to time and calcification.
Magnus had a great and terrible power behind his name and he could certainly put on a good show but he was not the confident and carefree warlock that he pretended to be.
But that? That was a secret few people knew.
So she’d looked straight through his fidgety demeanor and his tired eyes and she’d seen the scared, young man who had been through hell and back and needed to know that the one brightest spark in his life was still shining.
“When is Alec coming back?” She’d asked simply, stirring the potion that he’d started and abandoned earlier.
“Tonight...probably before the sun sets. It’s not like he has to go on patrol anymore.” Magnus replied, his knees tucked to his chest and one arm tapping rhythmically on the arm of the couch.
“Four hours,” she said after a quick glance at the grandfather clock against the wall. “I don’t have to work until later tonight. Once we finish this, I say you and I watch some shit reality television and curl up on the couch...for old time’s sake.”
So they had.
They’d spent the next couple of hours curled up next to each other under some truly horrific blanket he’d conjured up that smelled ever so faintly of sandalwood and rain, their legs and feet an intertwining mess on the couch. She was giving Magnus what he needed but wouldn’t ask for but she would never and could never be Alec.
When a chime from Magnus’ phone had him flicking open a portal in the living room without any hesitation, she knew her time here had come to an end. Alec emerged only seconds later, wearing the traditional soft white fabrics that he’d adopted since his resurrection and with a soft smile on his face. He didn’t blink once at Catarina’s presence - simply making his way across the room and pulling Magnus off the couch and into a deep kiss. Magnus leaned into him, every last ounce of tension leaving his body, as he slid his hand under Alec’s shirt.
She was prepared to make a quiet retreat but Alec, every bit the pragmatic man that he’d once been, turned to her with a smile on his face. He managed to untangle himself from Magnus’ grasp (eliciting a soft whine from his husband’s throat) and crossed the room to greet her. “Catarina, I didn’t realize you were coming. If I had, I would have been home sooner. Would you like to stay for dinner?”
She accepted the hug that he offered, even as she shook her head at the invitation. “I’ve got to get to work but maybe next time. And Alec?” She pulled him close until her lips were level with his ear and her words wouldn’t be heard. “Be gentle with him tonight. He needs you.” Alec frowned slightly but nodded in understanding.
She gave Magnus one last hug and opened a portal straight to a backlot of the hospital.
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With Catarina gone, Alec was able to fully turn his attention to Magnus. She’d been right - the Magnus in front of him was far from being okay. He looked like he was halfway between panic and relief and Alec could only open his arms and let the warlock fall into them with a muffled sob. “Oh, love, you could have called. I would have come right home. You know I’m only a portal away.”
Magnus had his nose buried in Alec’s neck as his fingers clung desperately to the back of Alec’s shirt. “You needed the time with your siblings,” he whispered, his voice muffled and soft.
“Magnus, I did like spending time with them but I need you.” He slipped his hand under Magnus’ shirt and ran his fingers gently across his husband’s back.
The distressed sobs Magnus had been so desperately trying to hold back finally broke free and he melted into Alec’s arms. “What do you say we move this to the bedroom where we will be a lot more comfortable?” He asked gently, already guiding them in that direction. He went to pull off his shirt but found he was unable to do so with Magnus’ tight, unrelenting grip around his waist. “Love, unless you’re planning to help with getting ready for bed, I think you’re going to need to let go for just a second. We’ll both be more comfortable in bed afterwards, I promise.”
Magnus didn’t reply - but a simple snap of the warlock’s fingers was answer enough. Alec pulled them into bed, twisting so that he took the brunt of fall and could bring Magnus down gently next to him. Instantly, his husband wrapped around him like he was afraid he would leave again. “Hey now,” he whispered, turning his head and lifting Magnus’ chin gently to stare into watery and un-glamored eyes. “If it’s too soon, it’s too soon. I mean it when I say that I’m never leaving you again. What do I need to do to prove it to you?”
Magnus sighed and tucked his head against Alec’s chest once more. “Just be here.”
That? Alec could do that. He’d be there as long as Magnus would have him - whether that be one year or one thousand. Magnus was his as much as he was Magnus’ and now by some stroke of luck, a miracle, and a little bit of magic, they had forever.